Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame

Established by the Board of Directors of Sail Canada (formerly CYA), the Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame recognises illustrious individuals who have made notable contributions to sailing in Canada and worldwide. Currently the Hall of Fame is a virtual record, but plans are under way to establish a physical presence.Inductees

Paul Henderson – Inducted 2005Paul Henderson grew up sailing on Toronto Harbour becoming a successful competitive sailor in classes such as the International 14, Flying Dutchman and Finn. He competed in all the Canadian Olympic Sailing Trials from 1948 to 1984 and represented Canada at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics sailing the Flying Dutchman and at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics (sailing in Acapulco) in the Finn Class. He became an IYRU (now ISAF) committee member in 1970 and rose through the ranks to become Vice President in 1978 and President in 1994, the first President from outside Europe. Paul was an IOC member from 2000-2004. Paul’s numerous awards include ISAF’s Beppe Croce Trophy, the 1994 Rolex Canadian Sailor of the Year and he is an inductee to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame. During his time at ISAF Paul guided the organisation through much change, as it adopted a new name and introduced the digital age.

George Cuthbertson - Inducted 2014George Cuthbertson started his long yacht design career right out of university, and by the time of the founding of C&C Yachts in 1969 had already established himself and the design firm of Cuthbertson and Cassian as one of the handful of leading yacht design firms in the world. With Inishfree, Red Jacket, Inferno, the Redline 41, Manitou, and the C&C 27, 35, 39, 43, 50, and 61, George established a design legacy that would be the envy of any sailor or yacht designer in the world. The successful racing record of C&C designs on International racing circuits established the credibility and panache that led to the successful building of high quality production boats for everyday sailors, and attracted thousands of families to sailing as a recreational pursuit. However, George would cap that remarkable design career by becoming the President of C&C Yachts at a time when it became the most recognized and successful production and custom boat builder in North America and the world. Leaving C&C in 1981 after a corporate take-over, George returned to his first love by re-establishing himself as an independent yacht designer. Without George Cuthbertson there would still have been a boatbuilding industry in Canada, but George Cuthbertson made it a truly Canadian industry by building Canadian designs.

Bruce Kirby – Inducted 2014Although Bruce Kirby is globally recognized as the designer of the 13’-10” Laser Olympic sailing dinghy, of which over 215,000 have now been built, Bruce’s design career embraces seven renowned International 14’ Dinghy designs and a multitude of successful one-design classes, such as the Sonar, Kirby 25 and Ideal 18, America’s Cup Twelve Meters; production racer/cruisers like the San Juan 24 and 30; off-shore racing boats such as the Admiral’s Cup 40’ Runaway; a number of innovative cruising designs; and a variety of plywood Sharpie designs for home construction. His sailing career is no less impressive, involving International Fourteen championships and International Team Racing, three Olympic campaigns, and off shore and Admiral’s Cup racing in his boats and others. On top of that Bruce was a pioneering sailing journalist, editor of One-Design and Off-Shore Yachtsman, which lives still as Sailing World magazine. Bruce is already a member of the US National Sailing Hall of Fame, the International Yacht Racing Hall of Fame, the Canadian International Fourteen Foot Dinghy Hall of Fame, and the City of Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.